An affiant is a person who is the author of an affidavit, who swears to the truth and accuracy of the statements made in the affidavit.
The person making the signed statement (affiant) takes an oath that the contents are...
THE LEGAL PROCESS
affidavit
An affidavit is a sworn statement a person makes before a notary or officer of the court outside of the court asserting that certain facts are true to the best of that person’s knowledge. Affidavits by both plaintiff/prosecution and defense...
affirm
There are several, related usages of the word “affirm” in a legal context; but, generally it means “to confirm or ratify.” Common occurrences of this word include:
An appellate court can affirm the ruling that was the subject of the appeal...affirmative defense
An affirmative defense is a defense in which the defendant introduces evidence, which, if found to be credible, will negate criminal liability or civil liability, even if it is proven that the defendant committed the alleged acts. The party...
affix
Affix means to attach something. Some common uses of the term “affix” in a legal sense include:
In the context of real estate, the term “affix” means to attach something to real estate in a permanent way. For example, planting trees...affray
Affray is a term used to define a common law offense, which involves fighting between people in a public place that disturbs the peace.
In Massachusetts, an affray “is an offense against the public, an aggravated...
after-discovered evidence
After-discovered evidence, or newly discovered evidence, is evidence which existed at the time of the original trial but was only discovered after the conclusion of the trial. After-discovered evidence is an issue predominantly in criminal...
agency
Agency law is the common law doctrine controlling relationships between agents and principals. A principal-agent relationship is created when the agent is given authority to act for the principal. An agreement made by an agent is binding on...
agent
An agent is a person authorized to act on behalf of another person. The party an agent is authorized to act for is known as the principal. A principal-agent relationship can either be intentionally created or created by implication through...
agent for acceptance of service
See: agent for service of process
[Last updated in March of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]